Increased Department of Education (ED) interest in rural education has been part of the awakening of federal concern for rural American issues. In response to a 1979 Presidential mandate to define and address the needs of rural America, the ED has identified basic problems of rural education that lend themselves to solution by the federal government: poor federal-school communication; ambiguous rural data; lack of rural resources and personnel; and government lack of appropriate strategies, formula, criteria, and procedures for rural education. In addition, for fiscal 1982, the ED has proposed a "Rural Network," an information sharing, technical assistance method of addressing the special needs of rural and small schools. Proposed "Network" services include rural education outreach, locally initiated rural education research, an updated rural data base, extension service models, identification of successful rural practices, and information dissemination. Other recent significant events indicating increased awareness of the importance of rural issues include the funding of a rural school Network by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the appointment of rural advocates within ED, an attempt to eliminate anti-rural bias in Office of Education regulations and criteria, and a National Institute of Education study advocating the acceptance of the reality of rural America. (SB)